Home Improvement

  • Guest, it's time once again for the hotly contested and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!



    Go here and fill out your bracket!
    Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Once again, only you can decide!

Picasso3

Silver Baronet of the Realm
11,333
5,322
Hope i didn't miss the thread somewhere. It was a good albeit slow one on Foh.

I got reminded because i just showered in a bathroom i've been redoing for the last 2 months or so. Probably cost me about 2000. The best thing is i'm really started to feel comfortable with a lot of this stuff now so i don't put it off like i did in the first one.

The most amazing thing in this project was the I kept the original (cast iron) tub and how clean it came. It had 50 years of rust-mold-caulk-glue-fucking-weatherstripping-the-idiots-before-me-put-on-there and after i took that off with a razorblade and scrubbed it looks fine.
 
Last edited:
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Captain Suave

Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
4,678
7,922
How much total time did that take you? Did you have any remodeling/construction experience beforehand?
 

Convo

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
8,760
605
Nice job on the bathroom man.
Do any of you guys have basement waterproofing experience? I'm considering doing it myself to save some money but not sure how risky it is. It doesn't seem too hard...
 

Picasso3

Silver Baronet of the Realm
11,333
5,322
How much total time did that take you? Did you have any remodeling/construction experience beforehand?
Very rough estimate of 50+ hours. I did another smaller although much more fucked up bathroom in the same house and it took me about 9 months but i definitely took my time -- so moderate experience but i did learn a lot from the first bathroom.
 

Picasso3

Silver Baronet of the Realm
11,333
5,322
Nice job on the bathroom man.
Do any of you guys have basement waterproofing experience? I'm considering doing it myself to save some money but not sure how risky it is. It doesn't seem too hard...
Painting shit with drylok is obviously pretty easy.

I would definitely call people and get estimates and opinions on what needs to be done though. If you have access around your house and easy digging trenching to the footer and installing underdrains and waterproofing might not be unreasonable. And is in my opinion is hands down the best solution. With that bdry gutter shit you still have a lot of water pushing on your foundation wall which they say is the #1 reason for retaining wall failure.

My experience with DIY waterproofing is that it never works.
 

Soygen

The Dirty Dozen For the Price of One
<Nazi Janitors>
28,311
43,092
Looks good, P. I have to redo both of my bathrooms. Come south.
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
<Medals Crew>
39,965
166,927
Great job on the bathroom, nice choices!

Nice job on the bathroom man.
Do any of you guys have basement waterproofing experience? I'm considering doing it myself to save some money but not sure how risky it is. It doesn't seem too hard...
I do. It's really time consuming to do yourself correctly, but it isn't rocket science. If you have time, and the ability/willingness to dig, you can do it.

Dig down to near the bottom of your foundation, all the way around. Doesn't have to be much, just enough to get yourself down there. Get the foundation tar/waterproofing compound, put it on. Put o-pipe with silt screen around, and direct it to a french well about 20 feet away from your house. Add 2-3 feet of coarse gravel, back fill. Paint the inside with drylock. You'll never have any moisture problems again.

Five years ago I bought a repossessed house in a great neighbourhood. It had been a crack house, and they had cooked meth in it. I've gone to the studs in every room, and I"m nearly done. Entirely new house, and very much of my own design. I had to move most walls on the main floor, and I think I've ingested roughly 20 pounds of drywall dust, but it's coming to completion now.

Thumbs up to those who do their own work!
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
<Silver Donator>
27,661
32,677
rrr_img_10171.jpg


Here's a project that I'll be starting in the next 12 months.

I have a fairly small house, so we try to use every possible space as effectively as possible. You'll see the picture above of a landing between the main floor and the basement, just a few steps down from the kitchen area. What I'd like to do is build a pantry on that ledge where the pictures are currently sitting. The challenge is whatever cabinets I install there will have to be removable, since that foot of space is needed when you move things like couches down to the basement.

Any tips for installing cabinets? Can you buy cabinet kits?
 

November

Lord Nagafen Raider
49
0
Great job on the bathroom, nice choices!



I do. It's really time consuming to do yourself correctly, but it isn't rocket science. If you have time, and the ability/willingness to dig, you can do it.

Dig down to near the bottom of your foundation, all the way around. Doesn't have to be much, just enough to get yourself down there. Get the foundation tar/waterproofing compound, put it on. Put o-pipe with silt screen around, and direct it to a french well about 20 feet away from your house. Add 2-3 feet of coarse gravel, back fill. Paint the inside with drylock. You'll never have any moisture problems again.

Five years ago I bought a repossessed house in a great neighbourhood. It had been a crack house, and they had cooked meth in it. I've gone to the studs in every room, and I"m nearly done. Entirely new house, and very much of my own design. I had to move most walls on the main floor, and I think I've ingested roughly 20 pounds of drywall dust, but it's coming to completion now.

Thumbs up to those who do their own work!
Since you have some experience with basements, I have a few questions for you:

1.) My house was built in 2010 with a French drain system. The basement is currently unfinished. Last spring we had about nine inches of rain over a day or so. Most of the foundation wall was dry except the very bottom where I assume the drain tile runs adjacent. The entire perimeter of the basement had visible moisture at this level, and in one corner I had actually had water puddling on the floor. I assumed the whole system got inundated with that amount of water and it needed somewhere to go. That one corner where the water came in was a drip point where half of the main roof dumped onto the garage roof and poured over to the ground. The French drain system was working as I heard the sump pump working on and off for at least three days, and I could hear the constant trickle of water into the pump's reservoir. Another curiosity was the water seemed to have seeped up from the slab only where the builders had pre-installed the drain pipes for the 2nd bathroom in the basement for when it gets finished - the water was only visible from an inch or two radius from these drains. I wasn't sure what to make of it as I though the drain system would handle this but obviously it didn't.

I have since installed gutters that summer which I hope alleviates most of the water issues, and I will adjust the grade on the sides to make sure I have no future moisture problems.

2.) I assume the pink foam board insulation is the way to go against the foundation wall for when we start to finish the basement. I have a neighbor that has the same floorplan as my house, and he finished his basement this past fall. I saw he installed studs against the foundation wall and put fiberglass batting directly against the foundation. I told him about the foam board but he just shrugged. If he has any moisture in the foundation, that batting is just going to soak it up and present mold issues, correct?
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
<Medals Crew>
39,965
166,927
Since you have some experience with basements, I have a few questions for you:

1.) My house was built in 2010 with a French drain system. The basement is currently unfinished. Last spring we had about nine inches of rain over a day or so. Most of the foundation wall was dry except the very bottom where I assume the drain tile runs adjacent. The entire perimeter of the basement had visible moisture at this level, and in one corner I had actually had water puddling on the floor. I assumed the whole system got inundated with that amount of water and it needed somewhere to go. That one corner where the water came in was a drip point where half of the main roof dumped onto the garage roof and poured over to the ground. The French drain system was working as I heard the sump pump working on and off for at least three days, and I could hear the constant trickle of water into the pump's reservoir. Another curiosity was the water seemed to have seeped up from the slab only where the builders had pre-installed the drain pipes for the 2nd bathroom in the basement for when it gets finished - the water was only visible from an inch or two radius from these drains. I wasn't sure what to make of it as I though the drain system would handle this but obviously it didn't.

I have since installed gutters that summer which I hope alleviates most of the water issues, and I will adjust the grade on the sides to make sure I have no future moisture problems.
Sounds to me like you have a pretty good clue about basements, too. I would say that you're bang on about the whole system getting inundated with water. If the entire perimeter of the basement had the same height of wetness, that's not nature. That's your water exit system being overloaded. I would say that installing gutters and improving your grade would prevent this from happening again. The alternative is to replace the french drain tiles, making them a foot lower. Also, if this only happens when you get nine inches of rain in a day, it is certainly not going to happen very often.

It also sounds like you have some water under your slab. This isn't the end of the world, and if the only place you're seeing seepage is around your drain pipes, I wouldn't worry about it. It's most likely that you had some air trappage around those pipes when then cement was poured, and it's just a bit thinner there. If ever you put a bathroom there, your shower will more than cover the affected area, as will your toilet and vanity. Be sure to have an extra large wax seal on the toilet, and don't tile under your vanity, and there will be no problems.

2.) I assume the pink foam board insulation is the way to go against the foundation wall for when we start to finish the basement. I have a neighbor that has the same floorplan as my house, and he finished his basement this past fall. I saw he installed studs against the foundation wall and put fiberglass batting directly against the foundation. I told him about the foam board but he just shrugged. If he has any moisture in the foundation, that batting is just going to soak it up and present mold issues, correct?
The very best thing you can do for basement insulation is this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...=j61rDDNKAk0#!

http://www.sprayfoamdirect.com/

However, that's not available everywhere (not where I live, for example). Other than that, yes, I'd say the foam board insulation is the best way to go. I'm helping a friend with this currently, as a matter of fact. What we're doing is gluing the foam board to the cement, and putting 2x2 strapping on top of it (attaching through the wood and foam to the cement with countersunk tap-con screws). The 2x2 strapping makes it easy to attach drywall, and it makes it very easy to legally run all electrical. Keep in mind that it is not only okay, but advisable to leave a 2 inch gap between the basement floor and the start of your insulation. This prevents anything you put in there from getting damp if the floor gets wet, and you really don't have to insulate at the very bottom of your basement. The ground doesn't get cold that deep.
It is entirely possible to use batting and prevent mold issues, but it is a lot harder to get right, and a lot easier to get mold.

Sorry, I'm not usually so long winded. PM me if you need anything else. I don't want to clog the thread.
 

Picasso3

Silver Baronet of the Realm
11,333
5,322
If the wall is buried do you really need insulation? I like keeping it two inches off the ground. Maybe do that with drywall to a lesser degree and the baseboard will cover it
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
<Medals Crew>
39,965
166,927
If the wall is buried do you really need insulation? I like keeping it two inches off the ground. Maybe do that with drywall to a lesser degree and the baseboard will cover it
Yup. I said the same in the above post. Most basement walls do need insulation, though the average only need it starting about 2 feet off the floor. Insulating to 2 inches above the floor doesn't add much cost, it prevents the floor-water issue, gives everyone peace of mind, and makes for a toasty basement.
 

Picasso3

Silver Baronet of the Realm
11,333
5,322
Big A I'd do it with furniture. Homegoods, lowes etc usually have some small cabinets. Maybe use kitchen wall cabinets. Not sure, all I know is me building some shit that would meet a woman's approval in what looks like a well built house, wouldn't happen.
 

Warrian

╰⋃╯ლ(´ڡ`ლ)
141
29
Bathroom looks good. Is it the angle of the picture or is the bathroom mirror not lined up with the sink?
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
<Silver Donator>
27,661
32,677
Big A I'd do it with furniture. Homegoods, lowes etc usually have some small cabinets. Maybe use kitchen wall cabinets. Not sure, all I know is me building some shit that would meet a woman's approval in what looks like a well built house, wouldn't happen.
That's what I'm thinking. I wonder if I could find someone selling old cabinets that they are replacing.
 

Picasso3

Silver Baronet of the Realm
11,333
5,322
You could. Looks like you have white trim though so you could find new white cabinets probably pretty cheap and sleep in the creek
 

Picasso3

Silver Baronet of the Realm
11,333
5,322
rrr_img_10271.jpg


The mirror is a 48" medicine cabinet surface mounted, it's probably an interior design "fuck no" but it was too easy and too functional. The previous cabinet was old and too small and i was too lazy to bust open the wall, reroute vent pipes, put in header, etc for a larger recessed. I'm stoked about how much shit i can put in it, i haven't even used my vanity for storage yet. I still need to adjust the door alignment but I can put that off for 6 or 8 months.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Springbok

Karen
<Gold Donor>
8,970
12,474
Sharp bathroom. You give any thought to molding above the tile? Plain white would look good - my folks did something eerily similar last summer with my help, and the molding really tied it together well. Cheap and easy to install.